


Only for a Moment // Stephen Strange x Reader

by Irish_Cream



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Doctor Strange (Comics), Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Demon, Demonology, Demons, Drama, F/M, Fantasy, Magic, Romance, Second Person, mystic arts, reader - Freeform, sorcery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-02-10 10:53:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18658996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irish_Cream/pseuds/Irish_Cream
Summary: Since the attack on New York, everything that was once considered human is put into question. Aliens. Inhumans. The enhanced. Gods. Creatures once thought to be mere fantasy are now the new reality.As a demon, you are one of the many new beings added to a growing list of discovered entities. Because of your sudden appearance, you are now on the run from HYDRA and Shield. With the help of an eccentric sorcerer who's agreed to help understand the meaning of your existence, you go on a hunt to find your family and discover what it means to be human along the way.





	1. Hotel

**Author's Note:**

> I have decided to take on the dreaded second-person form. As a childhood fan of R.L. Stine's "choose your own adventure books," I have always found ways to immerse myself into the stories I read. My goal is to hopefully help the reader feel the same sense of excitement as I do when immersing into fiction. 
> 
> Since this character is YOU, I would love to hear feedback about the direction you want the story to go. Ultimately, creative action will still need to take it's toll, but I do not want to lose the reader in the process. So PLEASE let me know what you think.
> 
> P.S. Chapter one is a bit slow, I know. But as exposition goes, something about our protagonist needs to be established. I'll get to the action quick, I promise! <3

Human beings are born selfish. Their sole purpose is to seek out all that is good for them while disregarding those that are not. They desire to love and to be loved, and in that regard, Thomas Hobbes had the right idea; for what could be more selfish than craving the attention of another soul? To capture some unsuspecting victim and keep them all to oneself? Even the most reclusive of introverts feel that inner pang of desperation when locked in their solitude of loneliness. Humans are indeed tribal animals, moving through life, constantly fishing approval from their fellow primates, as if it were a means to survival. No matter how hard one tries to deny this fact, we are all the same. 

This craving was familiar to you. Not a day goes by not spent wallowing in the sorrow of a previous life no longer available. Yet your existence is, itself, an anomaly, for you are not entirely human, and the current lack of companionship is primarily due to this fact. But you were born human. Raised human. You had lived among, befriended, and fucked other humans. This did not matter. That past was a mere falsehood kept away in the farthest reaches of your memory. You were a wolf in sheep's clothing.

No longer able to play pretend, you now carried through life on your own.

Blame for this current state of affairs was often placed on your parents. At some point in your mother’s youth, she made a fateful encounter with a demon: your father. There never were many stories told of the man, simply that he was handsome and bore a devilish grin. A grin that haunted your mother’s every nightmare. This was one of the many proclamations used in her drunken rants when a reason was needed to curse her only daughter’s existence. In fact, few nights went by where the history of your birth did not fall from whisky-soaked lips. At some point, you learned just to tune it all out. Ignorance was bliss, and it was far easier to pretend her tirades were the ravings of a loon than to take them seriously. It was not until recent years you discovered these stories to be true. After all, you are a creature of Hell.  
***  
Just as you had done last night, and the many nights prior, you sat alone in seedy hotel room – stolen, of course – pondering a solution to your current predicament. Since the “transformation,” many nights were spent lost, watching the assorted pests creep across the floor. In adolescence, you found cockroaches repulsive, even worried that one might find its way into your ear canal, digging through to your brain while you slept. It no longer mattered now. It had been two years since the pair of horns grew atop your head. Two years since your eyes blacked out and your teeth turned to fangs. Two years since your body required sleep or food. Two years since you changed. And in those two years you have only known the dark. The kind of dark the regular clientele of these joints preferred. Often, they were far too busy with their chemical addictions or ladies they met in the alleyways to notice the shadowy figure sneaking herself into an unoccupied room. You belonged with these people. Lost, abandoned, tortured. In the end, you were all misplaced souls of the night, hunting for the next escape from a madness self-inflicted.

Dealing with cleaning staff was just as easy. Granted, they hardly made their way to each room. (You were once able to hide away for three days before someone decided to finally clean that section of the hotel.) On the rare occasion that the staff did decide to make an effort for degenerates, you could teleport away before they even opened the door. This disappearing skill was one of the few benefits to your newfound form, granted it only worked if you could see the location you were jumping too. In addition to evasion, you could manipulate any metal so long as it was being touched, though this was only really used with the armor your former captures had drilled into your spine. When manipulated, this special alloy could be formed into a thin, but nearly impenetrable, suit of vibranium. This indestructible factor was rather useless, however, due to the healing ability you acquired just before escaping the HYDRA compound. 

Running your fingers along the cold metal, the name repeated itself within your mind. _HYDRA._ The Nazi subgroup discovered your existence two years ago after the “incident.” Despite your talent for relocation, they had all the necessary tools needed to keep the strongest of beings contained. Their favorite method of containment was a heavy metal collar that suppressed all non-physical mutations. Only a few months prior you had made your escape, so it was integral that major cities were avoided. At all costs. This did not mean that smaller towns were a wise choice to take refuge. Places like these are also dangerous as everyone knows everyone else. Something as shocking as a demoness would cause quite the commotion. In fact, you had become a local cryptic for one village in Estonia during an accidental teleportation to a major thoroughfare. Had your knack for quick-thinking not come into play, one poor sod would have rammed his truck into a nearby streetlamp.

Ultimately, major cities were worse. HYDRA was tuned into every form of social media and news outlet, making it nearly impossible to visit areas of large populations. All it took was one cell phone video to alert the agency to your location, and HYDRA was not the only group that sought out the mysterious horned woman. You have only narrowly missed recapture a few times before and had no desire to tempt fate once again. Desire, of course, being one of the many human traits you still possessed. As was the ability to make human mistakes, for a part of you was indeed still human and a human needs social interaction with other humans. Maslow was probably having a laugh from the heavens now as you gave into your own selfish cravings. Perhaps choosing to visit New York was not the wisest decision considering the circumstances, but all you wanted was to see others moving about their daily lives. To hear them talk and laugh and cry. To be among them, if only from the shadows.

The comforter - covered in unidentified stains - was hardly made. Atop it sat your trusty travel guide which was carried everywhere. Your teleportation ability could work with images so long as the picture was clear, and the scenery remained unchanged since the photo was taken. (This, along with many other discoveries, was made by HYDRA’s harsh experiments.) Sitting down on the very edge of the mattress, you turned to your favorite page. It was one you had gazed at frequently, apparent by the ease to which the binding opened. You glided your fingers along the edge as she taunted you from her island. Lady Liberty, proud and strong. You must have spent far too long with addicts of the night, for a familiar itch began to grow inside. The next high for you was the bustle of human life and for the past few days that yearning had grown so strong you almost longed for the pain you had originally sought to escape. 

_It would only be for a moment,_ you thought.


	2. Bleeker Street

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had hoped to publish this sooner but realized I made a mistake of not introducing Stephen until the end, and that's boring. So I did something fun and cut out a large portion to speed things up. I put off actual work for this so hopefully it actually pans out the way I want...

_177A Bleecker Street_

_The sanctum had grown a mysterious reputation among the neighbors of Greenwich Village. Granted, houses of this nature – large, old, slightly haunting - were not uncommon in this part of town. But what garnered the most attention were rumors surrounding the sorcerers who occupied this space. Often, one of the men would stop and listen to the hushed giggles of the local children, daring each other to knock on his door. If he was feeling particularly bored, he would offer them something to entertain themselves with. Nothing too big, of course. Just a pair of eyes peeking from a window or an old hand lightly brushing the curtains aside. Perhaps he had grown too bored in his castle as the only thing he ever delighted in was the feeling of laughter around him._

_The sorcerer never regretted his decision to take up the mantel of sorcerer supreme, but he would have turned the role down had he known of the loneliness. Sure, there was Wong, his trusted partner and friend. But Wong was a man of business, oaths, and routines. Human interaction with him was always pleasant, but it was never enough to humble the sorcerer. Monsters or inter-dimensional beings he frequently encountered were mostly hostile or of a different cultural background, so finding common ground was fruitless. The closest he got to connecting with other humans were the occasional folk who ended up at his doorstep, powerless to the otherworldly ailments that cursed them. They came seeking out the man’s knowledge of the mystic arts, somehow knowing that he could help, but unsure why. This was the Sanctum Sanctorum’s power. It called all those who needed it. But these moments were always fleeting. Once they had received his service, they went about their ways, leaving the sorcerer on his own once again._

_So, he meditated the time away. Just as he had done last night, and the night before, and the many nights before that._

_Once again, he sat, or rather levitated, in his study, allowing his mind to drift into the comfortable silence he had become accustomed to. Being that this was a daily routine, the escape came easily for him. In most cases, he could lose himself completely to the void, away from his own subconscious. However, this night was not like any other night. Once his mind had reached its deepest depth, he felt a tug, sudden and sharp, like an impending sense of doom that refuses to shake away. Despite his protests, it dragged him all the way back to the surface, forcing him back to reality._

_This was not a new occurrence, albeit, still an uncommon one, and often meant something not of this realm was coming. Something big. With a sigh, the sorcerer begrudgingly gave up on his meditation and moved to the nearest window. His efforts to find a moment of peace was a failure, and failure was not an option. Stubbornness was a trait leftover from his days as a top-level brain surgeon, and one of the few quirks he could not seem to rid himself of. Not that it was always an unfavorable one. His cockiness may have gotten him into many sticky situations during his time as master of the mystic arts, but it also got him out of them all the same._

_The sorcerer’s cloak moved gracefully with each stride as he wandered from the window and towards the study door. Perhaps the Sanctum was trying to give him the answer, but he could not seem to understand what she wanted. He called upon Wong as he left the study and made his way down the stairs. The man did not have to wait long, for his friend was already at the bottom of the steps, aware that something was wrong._

_“Keep an eye on the sanctum,” he said as he reached him, changing his clothes to casual wear in an instant. This was one of his favorite abilities since learning magic. Certainly not as fantastic as Images of Ikkon or the Seven Suns of Cinnibus, but it was practical. And the sorcerer loves practical._

_“And where will you go?” Wong asked._

_“I have been pent up in this house for too long,” the sorcerer smirked in response as he headed to the front door. “I think it’s time I went for a walk.”_

* * *

 

 

This appetite was insatiable. Every attempt at getting rid of it was hopeless. Regardless, a decision had already been made. You only needed to move. Despite how long you had carried this travel guide with you the pages were still glossy. Still welcoming. It was a thick book, though small enough to carry around. Within it were popular locations and images of monuments for the sightseeing tourists. You agreed with yourself to only stay at the very top of the statue of Liberty, a good distance away from the “regular” population. At any sight of helicopters or boats, you would leave immediately. It was late in New York, at least around 10pm, so surely there would not be many people in the port. _Everything would be all right,_ you assured yourself for the hundredth time before finally acting.

Teleportation had become second nature to you, and in some respects, it was the only redeeming factor of your current condition. Each time you traveled to a new place, extra care was taken to appreciate the moment. After all, it was the only bit of freedom you had left. Tracing your fingers along the picture, you fell deep into the scenery, allowing the hotel room to plunge further into the background. You focused hard on the new destination point - Liberty’s head – allowing the smells of ocean air to fill your nostrils. The sounds of waves lightly crashed against the island, ringing in your eardrums. As with most metals, you could feel the alloy of Lady Liberties skin coursing through your veins; sharp and pounding, but not painful. Fully immersing yourself into the location, you were now in between both places at once, as if time and space never existed. You were quite familiar with what came next. A light vibration, beginning at the spine and moving through each nerve as it reached every inch of your body. The sensation consumed you, until you could no longer feel the bed you were sitting on.

And in an instant, just as the vibration had begun, it was over. Using the metal of Liberty’s head, you steadied yourself against the wind by planting your feet hard. Deep breath. Each time the air entered your lungs, you felt your body lighten a bit more. For a moment, you had forgotten the beast you had become. The nearby metal that usually rattled your veins, or the horns that put weight on your neck and shoulders, was nonexistent. You felt freedom from the genetics that brought only grief and loneliness. In this moment, it was just you and the ocean breeze. You continued to drown in the silence, taking everything in. But there was still an old weight sat upon your shoulders, and no amount of meditation could remedy this fact. Had you been more observant, you would have ignored the unnatural tug of the city, but it quickly became obvious that the she had no intentions of letting you go. Crouching down, you neared the edge of the statue, just to watch her lights from afar.

 _Impossible…_ you thought.

The buzz of human life was screaming in your ears, beckoning you to fall into her depths. Just as the sirens of the sea who drowned storybook pirates, New York had consumed your mind, and all rational thought ceased to exist. You were not unintelligent by any means of the word, but you were very much alone. You were sick. And sick people often make poor decisions when left to their own devices. Perhaps if you only stayed atop one building, and nowhere else, you could watch the people. Imagine yourself among them. Hear the conversations and the laughter. Yes, only for a moment.

 


	3. Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter took far too long to complete and I am still not completely happy with it. However, our main protagonists need to finally meet, so here we go. Additionally, I'm trying to be more active in my writing and have some other stories in mind. So hopefully I can knock one chapter out a week. 
> 
> Please follow me on tumblr at captain-cpt where I will be posting one shots soon.

Scoping out the skyline, you picked the best location for avoiding wandering eyes.  _ Perfect _ ! It was the tallest building in your view, but still close enough that you could make out an optimal landing point. Pulling the guide close to your chest you focused all your attention to the new location. Once more, the vibration took over, filling every inch of your body with tiny quakes. That is until it no longer did and suddenly you were standing above the world. You neared the edge and looked down to the streets below. The city sounds were closer now, though still muffled, but there was certainly sign of life here. The cars below looked like little ants, lining up along the streets, as if the city itself was a sugary mess meant to be conquered. You wondered if this was why people called it the “big apple,” a thought that almost made you snicker. But the cheeriness was short lived when you realized that you were still just another lonely shadow, playing pretend among the others. It was not enough.

The hunger had grown even stronger now, so strong that you forgot to question the unnaturalness of it. Everyone was far too low to bring any sort of fulfillment, but you knew they were there, taunting you from below. Perhaps you could push your luck just a bit further and move to a lower building deeper within the city. That itch inside had become a sickness and the only cure was a nightlife that refused to slow down. Vibration. Move. This building was closer to the ground but still high enough to watch the human life at a safe distance. There was certainly more hustle and bustle below and you were beginning to feel the thrill you were looking for. The skyscraper neighboring this one was still tall enough to look up at, and lights fell from some of the windows despite it being well past normal work hours. You realized how dangerously close you were to being seen, but the itch had become unbearable now. Heartbeat racing, you needed to get closer. You needed to see the city. You need to feel the city. She was calling you to her.  

Vibration. Move.  _ Shit _ .

Falling was one of the worst ways to die – at least you assumed - despite being one of the least painful methods. What might seem like a moment for the spectator, took an eternity for the victim; it was enough time for someone to cycle through every memory, from childhood till that fateful slip. Every mistake and regret flashes through a person’s mind while they await their doom. So, you held your breath and watched the ground close in. The adrenaline flowing through your veins had blinded your actions. Being so close to human life had made you over-enthusiastic, clouded your vision. You were not paying attention and missed the landing point by a foot. The panic was unavoidable, even for an immortal being, and had it not been there, you probably could have teleported away before your body hit the ground. But living in a HYDRA compound and moving around hotel rooms had not prepared you for such heights.

_ Splat _ .

This, of course, was not the first time your body had been mutilated, nor was it the first time you had fallen, but it  _ was  _ a contender for the highest drop. Certainly, your body had become a mess on the concrete, so healing would take a while longer than usual. The pain itself was excruciating, but only for a moment thanks to your dead nerves. You might have even lost some of your brains from the impact. This you ascertained from the constant ringing in your ears and the inability to focus. Despite your vision being distorted and falling in and out of consciousness, you were aware of the spectators standing around you. It must have been quite the scene for a passerby. Whether it was due to the gore or the horns could be left up for dispute.

As your mind slowly returned, the feeling in your body did too. All you had to wait for was the spine to heal and then it was smooth sailing from there. As your body began to recover, it would “flicker” just as it did with teleportation. It was surely a sight for the quizzical eyes around you.  Arms suddenly regaining feeling, you attempted to push yourself up, though your eyes were still full of stars.  _ Shit _ . Legs shattered, but the eyesight returns, causing you to wipe blood from your lashes. Just as suspected, you were surrounded by curious but terrified bystanders. A few of them recording your pathetic attempts to move with cell phones. You had now become self-aware of your situation and shock began to set in. But trying to run was useless, nor could you teleport unless your body was fully whole again, another weakness of your condition.

“What is that...thing…” one bystander asked. There was no response because no one knew. Not even you could have answered this question, and not just because you lacked the physical ability to speak in this moment.

Finally, with a bit of effort, you managed to stand, albeit with a bit of wobble. Despite this accomplishment, your body was still rife with fractures and it was hard to ignore that you were covered in your own blood. Looking down at the mess you had made, brain tissue and all, you realized it was time to move. The crowd around you continued to stand in shocked silence with only a few murmurs of disbelief. However, there was one very pale teenage boy that caught your attention.

You looked deep into his eyes, which were such a dark brown they appeared to match the blackness of his hair. It seemed like an odd thing at the time. However, you could not focus on the boy, lest the blood you had swallowed finds its way back to the surface. Yes, it was best just to move forward. No time to answer questions, just run. Just leave. You pushed feebly through the crowd; a task made easier since no one wanted to touch you. As you reached the end of the street, your heart stopped. A man and a woman were walking towards your direction. The fortitude in their steps could mean only one thing: HYDRA. Most average citizens would not recognize them as such. Especially since they typically paraded themselves as regular people. But you knew the look of intent on their faces better than most after spending so much time surrounded by them. Agents of HYDRA always had a mission and they always intended to carry it out.

There was no time to wait for healing bones. Pushing your way back through the crowd, you tried to calm your nerves until you made it to the other side. Your travel guide! You must have let go of it at some point during the fall, and now it was nowhere to be found. Stopping only for a moment to gather your emotions, you held back tears and forced your legs to walk. Now was not the time to mourn the loss of your only companion. Most of the major injuries had healed at this point, but still your body flickered in protest at any attempt to teleport. Quickening your pace to a run, you felt a sharp pain in your right knee. You inhaled deeply and fought through the agony to continue forward. It was time to run.

Keep moving, you must keep moving. The crowd behind you made a stir that caused you to quickly spin around. The two agents had forced themselves through and were quickening their pace. They were carrying unidentifiable weapons which had a reddish-orange glow, but seeing as you had no intentions on finding out what they did, you turned heal and went in the opposite diresction. Faster you ran across the street, narrowly missing impact with an oncoming vehicle. Your body was working hard to heal itself and you were certain you could hear the agents closing in. No time to turn and check. You just had to keep moving. Keep your pace. You ran fast and hard, avoiding people and cars, fully aware of terrified onlookers. There was no time to question whether this was due to your appearance or the chase taking place. Suddenly, just as you thought they were going to catch up, a familiar vibration took over.

_ Finally! _

You were at too odd of an angle and moving far too fast to find a rooftop with these tall skylines, so instead you chose to just jump forward. This method improved the distance between your hunters because you were able to skip two to three blocks at a time depending on obstructions. But something felt off, you stopped to look behind you once again. There had hardly been an improvement on the distance between you and the agents.  _ Oh no… _ was the only thought you could gather when you watched them close in. The agents were teleporting just as you had, only their range of travel seemed to be much shorter. Suddenly, you looked at the canons in their hands. It was not the weapons that were glowing, but rather an array of ruins carved along the sides, none of which you could identify. These were not just average HYDRA agents, they were magic users.

_ I can’t outrun them… _ you thought. There was no more running. Time to face them here and now. The metal at your spine grew warm and you planted your feet as they reached a stopping point, steadying their guns toward you. The blackened metal did not take long to cover every inch of your body, creating a sturdy but lightweight armor of vibranium. Although you still had your suit received during your imprisonment, you no longer had your blade. In your haste to escape the HYDRA compound, you had to leave it behind. Still, there were plenty of metallic objects nearby, and you decided to list them off in your head as the metal covered your face, creating a blank mask of vibranium. Car, street sign, lamp, hydrant. From an outsider, the mask looked completely opaque, but you could see everything around.

“Give it up, Specter,” the female agent shouted. Both were still in civilian clothes, the man even looking quite professional in his business suit. But the aura they carried about them was abnormal compared to that of the average citizen.

_ Specter _ . The mention of that old codename filled you with disgust. Your human name was gone, for you were no longer human, and all that stood in her place was Specter. And specter was something else.

“I’ve taken down plenty of men much larger than you,” you shouted back, hoping that your fear did not betray you.

“I’ve been informed of your actions,” she said. “and we both know how well HYDRA can adapt.”

“Maybe if you make this easy for us, the punishment will be less severe,” the man added.

At this point, discussion seemed futile, and you were only delaying the inevitable. They carried weapons of a mystic nature and going in blind was dangerous. You could not fight them. Instead, an escape plan was needed. From your peripherals, you focused on the fire hydrant only two steps away. If you could get your hands on it and create a distraction, then hopefully you could buy some time. Unfortunately, you had not noticed the agents expressions change fast enough. By the time, you were ready to move to the hydrant, something had grabbed you from behind. Almost instantly, your body was wrapped in what seemed like crimson bindings causing you fall to your knees, unable to teleport away. Before you could curse your capture, a man wearing red scarf stepped forward into your view.

“What an interesting situation I seem to have stumbled upon,” the man said. “Perhaps someone could explain this chase to me before I send you all to  _ The Halls of Fear _ .”


End file.
